When Garrett O’Donnell’s Pharmacy met Karen and Charlene..!!!

Friday evening, July 6th, is, without doubt, a night we won’t forget.

Back in March, we (finally) had a brand on our shelves, that had taken the world of skincare by storm..!! Bloggers, Skincare experts and Make Up Artists had begun talking about a brand, and it didn’t seem to be going away. Sometimes, in the world of social media, what is massive and totally on trend today, won’t be heard of after tomorrow, the techno version of chip wrapper I guess.

This seemed different, and of course the curiosity in me wanted to know more. From my previous posts, you have all gathered that a) I will give anything a fair go, and b) I have always had trouble with my skin, so this was kind of personal..!!! So I made a few calls, and got to meet the rep for our area. We talked back and fourth, she showed me a few pictures and explained the brand on a business level. This was great, but at the end of the day, we love our customers, and while we love our successful business, we care most about what we have in store to offer them and that it is of a high quality. I needed to know more.. Along came Karen..!! Karen is the gal, who knows everything there is to know about skin, the good, the bad and the ugly..!!! She is funny, honest and the most knowledgeable lady I have worked with in a long time. We brought in the brand, and with the stock on site, she began with the basics.. Rearranging the shelves!! This alone was an education for us, because as she worked through the different products, she began to explain what each one was for. She explained, which serum worked well with each particular skin type, the importance of Night Care, Body Care, the sciences behind their Micellar products. I said to her, out straight, I have to get this information to our customers..!! There is no point in having this amazing product on our shelves, if customers don’t have this world of information. If you're anything like me, a good moisturiser was the Golden Rule..!!! Hella no…. I was destroying my skin, with the stripping cleanser I was using, and wasting money on an expensive moisturiser that was trying to fight a losing battle..!!! I said to Karen that day, that I would be mortified to actually tell you what I do with my skin, knowing what I know now..!!! Is it any wonder that it was in absolute bits..!! We arranged to have Karen come to Glenties again, to explain all of this, in a group setting and to give some tips and tricks on how to look after our skin. Our skin is an organ after all, and while it repairs itself, and skin cells die and are removed, we need to start showing it some TLC..!! We have lovely customers, so we worked together over several weeks, to find out how we could bring this information to you all, but to have a little night out at the same time..!!! Karen organised a treat for us all. She arranged for a friend of hers to join us, to talk about Make Up, do a demonstration of a Make Up application, while showing the differences a good Skin Care routine can make to your finished look.

Well… Sure we only had Ms. Charlene Flanagan… IN… OUR… PHARMACY..!!! It is no wonder social media loves this lady as much as we do. Just like Karen, she is funny, down to earth and a regular mammy like the rest of us..!!!

Staff member Stephen Griffin keeping a close eye on the gathering crowd!

We sold tickets to our wonderful event, as our space was limited. We are a fully operational Pharmacy after all, but we know we had to squeeze everyone in somehow..!!! The response was unbelievable, so many people had questions about their skin, so many people wanted to learn about Make Up from Charlene, we were just blown away..!! (As was Charlene, when she seen her picture out at the Kilraine Crossroads..!!!) Everyone who had a ticket, waited outside for doors to open..!!! We had muscles out in force in the form of Stephen Griffin, who did an excellent job on ticket collection! Everyone too their seats, while Karen got to work..!!! The crowd was captivated, you could hear a pin drop as she began with the leading factors in skin damage in 2018.. The sun we have been experiencing so much of the past few weeks, came in at number one, that was a straight forward one.. Karen explained the importance of SPF in our skincare routine, and how important protecting our skin from the sun was. The Declaré BB Cream, which has an SPF30, was one she mentioned, so we can have some form of protection as well as a little colour. You could tell the shock when she mentioned the second.. Technology!! Our smart phones, laptops and tablets, are causing damage to our skin..!! Who knew…!

When you meet someone as passionate as Karen from Declaré, even Clarlene Flanagan was entraced!!

She carried on, with help from our beautiful model, Hannah, to explain the importance of good skin cleansing. Who used wipes? Micellar Water..? Or dare I say it.. Doesn’t remove make up at all before going to bed… A big No-No..!!! Wipes are handy, we get that.. But what are they doing to your skin, even the simple rubbing motion, over and back, round and round the delicate eye area, what damage it left in its wake..!!

The information on Micellar Waters was when I was hooked.. Did you know that your skin had its own pH..?? No, me neither..!!

With the pH scale, you have acidic, and alkaline.. Basically, lovely clean natural water, is somewhere in the middle, a neutral pH… Skin Ph should be as close to neutral as we can make it, Most Micellar Waters have a pH of 3, Declaré Micelle Cleanser has a pH of 7.. Karen passed it around the crowd, and you could see the consistency, how moisturising it felt. She went on to carry out a test on Hannah’s skin, testing the elasticity. She was able to tell Hannah, which side of her face she slept on, just by looking at the results..!!! The day to day lifestyle tips and diet tips, which impact our skin were flowing, and everyone was taking it in, without doubt, Karen could have chatted about skin all night, but the crowd would have stayed all night too.. It was the most interesting conversation, listening to someone, who loves skincare enough to learn all about it..!!

Karen began on Hannah, giving her a skin a proper cleansing before Charlene began her Masterclass. She explained how Hannah felt she had an oily T-Zone, so she went for the Mattifying Moisturiser which will help to dry up excess oil.

Declaré Mattifying Moisturiser, suitable for oilier skin types, Karen used this on Hannah before Charlene continues with her Make Up Demo

Karen explained how skin produces excess oil, which can be a naturally occurring thing, or it can be as a result of over stimulation, the wrong skin product, or large pores, trapped oil and dead skin cells, which lead to pimples and blemishes..!!! She explained exfoliation and the difference between manual and chemical exfoliation. Manual exfoliation comes in the form of the Declare Soft Peeling Scrub, which it the nicest smelling product. A tiny grit in this scrub, works to physically remove dead skin cells, and all the grubbiness on the surface of the skin without a harsh big sandy grit which can leave tiny tears in the skin, leaving it red and aggravated looking. It is fine, gentle scrub which still does the job it is supposed to do. The chemical exfoliation, was what I found interesting..!! It sounds harsh, but it’s not. The Declaré Enzyme peel, comes in a powder, like the Declare Powder Cleanser, you heap a little onto your hand, add a little water, rub it together to create a lather, then you just rub in onto your skin. There is no scrubbing, no tearing the skin, no big red face afterwards (well not for me anyway) the peel simply ‘eats up’ the dead skin cells, for want of a better word. Well…. The softness..!!!!

Declaré Cleansing PowderDeclaré Enzyme Peel

Both of these products are a powder in the container, you put a teaspoon size amount on your hand and add water to create a lather. The smell of both of these products is just devine!

Charlene then took to the centre floor, from the second she started, the people were engaged. She was so relaxed and engaged with everyone, took questions from the floor and answered with such honesty..!!

Charlene Flanagan demonstrating the Rimmel 'Brow This Way' the product she used on Hannah'd Brows to add definition!

Everyone learned something, including myself.. (Yes I put foundation around the eye area – guilty!!) Charlene introduced our new brand L.A Girl, which we launched on the night..!! She explained how she used concealer to hide the dark circles, but also how gentle it is on the thin sensitive skin around the eye area. She was able to explain how our skincare routine and our Make Up application work in harmony, not just to give a lovely finished Make Up look, but how to look after our skin long term..!!! The techniques we used to use, the rubbing, dragging over and back motions, how these impact our skin, how they encourage wrinkles and fine lines!! She showed us how heavy foundations around the eye area can dry out the skin, which is already thin enough, leaving way for more fine lines and wrinkles. As she said herself, this is what we are trying to avoid, why should our Make Up application undo all the good work of our now, amazing, skincare routine. We cannot put in all the effort to cleanse, tone and moisturise, and spoil it all by excessively rubbing the goodness away, just for one night on the town…? She let us in on a little tip, made us promise not to tell anyone, so keep it to yourself, ok..!! She showed us the Ocean’s Best mask. A mask is it, and it can be used in the normal way, the Saturday night pamper night, once a week, the usual I guess. Or, throw it on for ten minutes before you get ready to apply your Make Up. Leave it on for 10 minutes, tissue it off and then apply your look. Who would have thought. It smooths out the skin, gives such a boost of hydration, and leaves a plump, hydrated soft base for you to get started. If you’re looking for a heavy mask make up look that covers everything, so no one recognises you, fair enough. But when you have a good base, it’s more of an enhancement of the glow and beauty that is already there, then we can see how this is the one thing you will always find in Charlene’s Kit..!

Declaré Ocean's Best Mask

There is no doubt, Hannah is a beautiful girl, inside and out, but the finished look Charlene completed, was just amazing..!!! Everyone got up to get a closer look! The look she created is one we will all be trying for an everyday look or if you’re looking for a natural look, for your event..!!!! From incorporating in the skin care routine for a flawless base, to the tips and tricks of getting a straight eye liner line, to using a lilac highlighter from Sleek Cosmetics, putting on eyeshadow with your eyes open, who would have thought..!!

Check out the finished look! NO photoshop, NO filters, and to be fair, when talent meets beauty, there really is no need. That was one thing that people gave feedback on, how honest the night was, there were no filters, no photoshopping, this was just pure raw talent..!!

Hannah Molloy, our model for the night, and the newest member of the Garrett O'Donnell Team

Mix that with knowledge and years of experience from both Charlene and Karen, we have gained so much both as retailers and customers..!!

To all our customers who joined us, who travelled and made the effort to be there, we thank you so much. The support we receive is just overwhelming. We hope you enjoyed your night!

To Karen and Charlene, Thank You both so much for all the advice, goodie bags, and for sharing your expertise in such a down to earth, honest manner. We will be just thrilled to have you back again in store soon..!!!

For more information on some of the Declaré Products we stock, click here

Lisa xx

MUA Charlene Flanagan, had the crowd fully engaged last Friday night, while she demonstrated her amazing talent

You could hear a pin drop in store as Karen and Charlene explained how day to day habits are taking away from lovely glowing skin, what we can do to improve our routine, and techniques when applying Make Up, which will improve our over all skin health.

Karen speaks with the crowd after the demonstrations, to give one to one consultations on different skintypes. Zeta, Alanah and Mary spoke to Karen from Declaré (far left), after the talks

Lauren, Ciara, Clare and Margaret joined us, along with Angela Griffin, to gain more information about Skincare.